Surgical appliance



Feb. 22, 1938. A. B. KENDRICK SURGICAL APPLIANCE Filed Oct 30, 19361711/622601: Kendrick Patented Feb. 22, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICESURGICAL APPLIANCE Application October 30,

3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in surgical appliances known aselastic stockings and elastic anklets constructed to be worn upon theleg and foot of a person suffering with varicose veins and otherinfirmities requiring surgical treatment.

Such appliances include in the construction thereof a tubular legsection and a tubular foot section formed of knit fabric havingstretchable elastic strands inlaid in the body thereof, the sectionsbeing united in part and separated in part by a heel opening, and eachsection having a part which terminates in a heel edge at said opening.

In some instances the heel opening is not closed in the finishedappliance, and in other instances, the heel opening is closed by a heelpiece attached to the leg and foot sections and formed. of fashionedknit fabric having no elastic strands inlaid therein and being muchthinner than the fabric forming the said sections.

The present invention has particular relation to the form of the heelpiece and to the relation of the parts thereof to the adjacent parts ofthe foot and leg sections and to the manner of attaching the heel piecethereto.

An object of the invention is to so construct and relate a part of theheel piece to an adjoining part of one of the said sections that thewall formed by the fabric of the appliance will gradually expand inthickness from the thin fabric of the heel piece to the thicker fabricof the section to which it is attached, for smoothness of appearance andfor ease and comfort in wearmg.

Another object is to improve the connection of the heel piece with theleg section whereby the heel piece is extended to reinforce the legsection in the region above its heel edge, and whereby the freedom ofthe heel piece and the adjacent portion of the leg section to adjustthemselves to one another and to the wearer of the appliance isincreased.

Another object is to improve the construction and relation of the partsof the appliance whereby various advantages are gained in wearingqualities and comfort for the user.

The invention resides in the novel construction, combination andrelation of the parts as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing, illustrating the invention,

Figure 1 is a side view of an elastic stocking embodying the invention,showing the free end 1936, Serial No. 108,437

portions of the leg and foot sections turned slightly to illustrate thetubular formation thereof.

Figure 2 is a vertical section through the heel piece and leg section ofthe stocking, on line 22 of Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a horizontal section through the heel piece and foot sectionof the stocking, on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Figure 4 is a side View, similar to Fig. 1, of the leg and foot sectionsof the stocking before the application of the heel piece thereto.

Referring to the drawing, the stocking comprises a tubular leg section4, a tubular foot section 5, and a separately formed heel piece 6.

The leg section 4 and foot section 5 are united, at l, in the forwardportion of the stocking, and they are separated by a heel opening 8, inthe rearward portion of the stocking, at which the fabric of the legsection terminates in a heel edge 9, and the fabric of the foot sectionterminates, in a heel edge I9 which faces the edge 9.

The leg and foot sections 4 and 5 are formed of suitable knit fabrichaving stretchable elastic strands inlaid in the body thereof such, forexample, as the fabric shown and described in my 7 previous Patent No.1,853,903, dated April 12,' 1932; and, conveniently, the leg and footsections 4 and 5 may be constructed like the leg and foot sections ofthe appliance illustrated and described in the said patent, the heeledges 9 and ill of the present invention corresponding with the edgesIll and I I, respectively, of the appliance of the patent.

The heel piece 6 is formed of a single piece of suitable, plain knitfabric, having no elastic strands inlaid in the body thereof. The heelpiece may be produced on the well known circular knitting machine forproducing stockings, and it comprises a heel portion l l, fashioned tofit the heel of the wearer of the appliance and to close the heelopening 8, and an extension portion 12, fashioned to fit the adjacentpart of the leg section 4 rising from its heel edge 9, and to occupy aposition in close proximity thereto.

The extension portion l2 of the heel piece 6 is preferably of graduallynarrowing formation as it rises from the heel fitting portion llthereof, and the upper edge portion 13 of the heel piece 6 or itsextension I2 is inturned and sewed to the fabric of the leg section 4 bya line of stitches 14 of zig-zag formation located a substantialdistance above the heel edge 9 in spaced relation thereto, as clearlyshown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The lower edge portion l5 of the heel piece 6 is a continuation of theupper edge portion I3 thereof, and it corresponds in length with and isfitted to the heel edge I!) of the foot section 5. The edge portion I5is turned and sewed to the body of the heel piece 6 by a line of zig-zagstitches [6 in a manner to form a hem l1 which abuts against the heeledge I of the foot section and is sewed thereto by a line of zig-zagstitches l8 forming a continuation of the line ofstitches M. The fabricof the heel piece 6 is much thinner than the fabric of the foot and legsections] and 5, and the thickness of the combined layers of the fabricforming the hem I1 is less than the thickness of the fabric of theadjacent foot section 5 to which it is attached, and, as the said hem isthicker than the fabricof the main body of the heel piece, a unionbetween the heel piece and the foot section is provided in which thefabric of the appliance -g'ra,du'ally expands in thickness from the thinfabric of the main body of the heel piece to the thicker fabric of "thefOOt Se CtiOn.

The'eiitension portion 12 of the heel-piece '6 *reinfor'cesthe fabric ofthe legsectlon '4 in the region thereof, directly above the heel edge"9, which is subjected to considerable wearbet'ween the leg and shoe ofthe wearer of the appliahce; and, 'as' the'fabric' of the heel piece ismuchthinner than the fabric of the leg section,'the fabric oftheap'pliance is not-obj'ectionably increased in "thickness in thereinforced area 'thereof, and such area has no obj ectinable "fabricedge coupled with a line'of stitches-alongthebottom of "the reinforcedarea-as is'the case inprior constructions wherein a reinforcing patch,in addition to theleg section and'heel piece, has'been sewed thereto. w

The central part o'f'the heeledg'eil' of the leg semen is tackedor sewedto the fabric of the heel piece by several stitches 'l'9 inspaced'relation to the ends of the edge 9 to prevent accidental upwardfolding or'rolling of the "fabric of the leg section "directly over theedge 9 when theapplianceisin service, and such tacking 'l'eaves theinaj'orporti'on of edge 'Qfree fronrthe fabric of the heel piece "'6 toperl'nit free "play between the heel piece 6 and the heeled'ge ll andthe fab'iic of the leg' seenona directly above the edge 9, and therebythem to adjust themselves to -dne another-arid'tothe"wearer of theappliance when itis in'se rvice.

Byfektending; theheel], piece 6 well above the heel edge9 of the legsection fandattaching the 7 heel piece to, the leg section-b'y the lineof stitches f4 which are located a substantialdistance above 'the'heeledge 'S,-instead or terminating theh'el piece at the'heel edge 9* andattaching it to" said "edge, the leg "section '4 'at and in the regionof "said edge is left f'reeto expand and 'eentr'acn "withoutinterference from the fnea-ns' "which at- -tae'hes' the 'heel piece tothe leg slect'i'on, thiisfgiv- 'ing free ac't'ion to the "fabric of theleg section 'at and in the region -'above the heel edge Q'Where it ismost needed.

I claim as'rny invention:

11A surgical appliance comprising a tubular leg section, a tubular footsection, and a separately formed heel piece, each of said sections beingformed of knit fabric having stretchable elastion and having the loweredge of the leg section unattached to the heel piece throughout aportion cfthelower edge of the leg section, means for'attaching theupper edge portion of the heel piece to the leg section in spacedrelation to the heeledge thereof, and means for attaching the lower edgeportion of the heel piece to the foot seetion.

2. A 's'urgiclatl appliance comprising a" tubular leg section, a tubularfoot section, and "a separately-fo-rm'ed heel piece, each ofsaid-sections being formed of knit fabric having stretchable elasticstrands inlaidin the body-thereof, the forward portions of said sectionsbeing united and the rearward portions thereof being separated bya-heel'opening'at which a portion of the fabric of'each sectionterminates inaheel edge facing the heel edge-of the other section, andsaid heel piece closing said opening and being formed of fabric which isthinnerthanthe fabric of said'sections and-extending above the heel edgeof the leg section and having the-lower edge'of the-leg-sectionunattached to the heel piece throughout a portion of the lower edge oftheleg section, means for attaching the central portion of the-heel edgeof theleg-section to the heel piece, means for attaching the upper edgeportion of the heel piece to the leg section'in spaced relation to the'heel edge thereof, and

means forattaching the lower edge "portion of the heel piece tothe 'footsection.

3. A surgical appliance comprising a tubular leg section,a'tubularfoot'section, and aseparately formed heel piece, each of saidsections being formed of knit fabric'h'avin'g stretchable elasticstrands inlaid 'in the body 'thereoffthe "forward portions of saidsections being limited and the rearward'portions thereof "beingseparated by a heel opening at'whi'ch a portionof thefabr'ic ofeachsection"terminates'in aheel edge'facing the'heel edge'ofthe'othersection, and said 'heel piece closing 'said opening "and being formed offabric which is thinnerthan the fabric of said sections and which has2!.

turned edge portion sewed to the body thereof "and forming a'her'nhaving an'edge'whichabuts the jheel'edge of one of said sections and issewe'd thereto, and means for attachingthe heel piece to the otherof'said sections, thethickness or the combined layers of the fabricforming said hem'bein'g less'than the thickness of the fabric to whichit is sewed. H v

ARTHUR B. KENDRICK.

